The Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival experience is one that presents an expansive stylistic overview of the genre.

With performances on both the main amphitheatre stage and the smaller gazebo stage on the lawn, it can also be viewed as a "Tale of Two Cities."

Many love the intimacy of the gazebo stage. It is here that the luscious vibe of a jazz club is best captured and conveyed. As ensembles of various sizes cozily pack onto the small stage, the audience literally gathers at their feet. What a rare treat it is for the avid jazz fan or the merely curious to be able to sidle up to the front and get an up-close-and-personal, supremely visceral glimpse of the live music experience.

This year's event features Freihofer's first "Encore Series at the Gazebo," in which fan favorites who have performed on the smaller stage return.

Advertisement

Among those coming back is saxophonist Hailey Niswanger. A veteran of the 2010 festival where she wowed the crowd as a |19-year-old Berklee School of Music phenom, Niswanger returns Saturday as a graduate and |a somewhat more seasoned, but not yet grizzled, veteran. She'll be performing in support of her recently released sophomore CD, "The Keeper," on her own imprint, Calmit Productions.

"Freihofer's Jazz Fest was one of the best and most exciting festivals I have ever had the privilege of performing at," she began. "I remember my band felt like it was on fire that day -- we were all really tuned in to one another from the first count off to the final cut off. The music was flowing and the audience could feel it and was giving the energy right back to us. It was an exhilarating feeling. During our opening number I spotted Ahmad Jamal, one of my favorite pianists of all time, watching our performance. He must have liked what he heard, because he made his way to a bench and sat there listening to our whole set. I felt very humbled that a master as great as he truly enjoyed our performance."

Niswanger plays both alto and soprano sax. Her new disc draws deeply from the inspirational well of the jazz heyday of the 1950s and '60s.

"The 'traditionalist' jazz style is something I'm drawn to, something I love," she said, "so I do not find it hard to release a CD that remains true to those roots. It may be more difficult to receive recognition and be 'heard,' " she conceded, "but my new release, 'The Keeper,' is a project I am very proud of."

Something to be proud of, indeed. A spin through "The Keeper" evokes the gazebo experience. A mix of original music and a trio of covers are served up with a breezy confidence that all at once speaks to and belies the chops and artistry displayed.

"I still have so much to learn about the traditionalist jazz style, and I feel that I am just now beginning to 'dig a small hole'," Niswanger noted, adding, "Those roots go very, very deep."

Jazz is a genre in which the dominant instrumentalists have been men. However, women continue to make great gains. In the past two decades, they have become much more prevalent on the bandstand, helping to erase any gender gap, be it real or imagined.

On this topic, Niswanger noted, " 'Woman instrumentalist' is definitely something that can stand out to jazz fans. But in the musician's world, I see and hear about more and more female instrumentalists every day. Women are really starting to come forward in jazz, and it is unfortunate that some people have put a stereotype on women as not really being able to play. But you have to be a strong player to break through that stereotype and let your music speak for itself, not your gender.

"Music has no gender."

In concert, Niswanger will be supported by the same group heard on "The Keeper," Takeshi Ohbayashi on piano, Max Moran on bass and Mark Whitfield Jr. on drums.